Types of Poetry



Types of Poetry

There are three major types of poetry: Narrative Poetry, Dramatic Poetry, and Lyric Poetry.

I. Narrative Poetry

Narrative poetry presents a story or account of events, and must therefore encompass the novel's requirements of plot, character, and action as well as the poetry requirements of rhyme, stanzas, and meter.

A. Epic Poems

Epic Poems are long, serious poems that tells the story of a heroic figure. Some of the most famous epic poems are the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer and the epic poem of The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ( 1807 - 1882 ) .

B. Allegory

An Allegory is a narrative having a second meaning beneath the surface one - a story with two meanings, a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning. Examples of allegories are the Fairie Queen by Edmund Spenser, Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan and  Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne

C. Ballad

A ballad is a popular, short narrative poem that typically has stanzas of two or four lines and often has a refrain or recurring chorus. It is meant to be sung.

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II. Dramatic Poetry

A dramatic poem is actually a drama (or a play) whose entire script is written in poetic verse rather than in prose. It usually portrays a story of life or character and usually involves conflict and emotions. It includes a plot that unfolds with action and dialogue. An example is “Barbara Fritchie” by John Greenleaf Whittier and “Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

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III. Lyric Poetry

Lyrical Poems are the most frequently used poetry forms. Lyric Poetry consists of any fairly short poems in which a speaker expresses intense personal emotion, a state of mind or a process of perception, thought and feeling rather than describing a narrative or dramatic situation. In other words, lyric poetry does NOT tell a story which tells what happened. Instead, the lyric poet addresses the reader directly, portraying his or her own feeling. Originally, the term "lyric" designated poems meant to be sung, but today the term is sometimes used to refer to any short poem.

A. Sonnet

A sonnet (which means “little song”) is a fourteen-line lyric poem usually written in iambic pentameter.

B. Ode

An Ode is a long poems which is serious in nature and written to a set structure. John Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn" and "Ode To A Nightingale" are probably the most famous examples of this type of poem.

C. Elegy

An Elegy is a sad and thoughtful poem lamenting the death of a person. An example of this type of poem is Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard."

D. Dirge

A lyrical poem or song of lament for the death of a particular person. A dirge is similar to an ELEGY by it is less formal and is supposed to be sung.

E. Limerick

A limerick is a short, humorous, jingling poem. It has five anapestic lines. The first, second, and fifth lines rhyme, and the third and fourth lines rhyme. The first, second, and fifth lines are seven to ten syllables, three of which are stressed. The third and fourth lines are shorter with only five to seven syllables, two of which are stressed. Edward Lear is famous for his Book of Nonsense which included the poetry form of Limericks.

F. Cinquain

A cinquain is a five-line poem. The first line is a one-word subject or noun. The second line is made up of two adjectives that describe the noun in line one. The third line has three action verbs that relate to line one. The fourth line has four words (feelings, a phrase, or a complete sentence) that relate to line one. The one-word fifth line has either a synonym of the word in line one OR a word that sums up the poem.

G. Haiku Poetry

Haiku Poetry Type is a Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables. Haiku poetry originated in the sixteenth century and reflects on some aspect of nature and creates images.

 H. Concrete Poems

A concrete poem is one that takes the shape of the object it describes.

I. Acrostic Poetry

An acrostic poem is one in which the first letters of each line form a word or message relating to the subject.

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Poetry can be written in several different types of verse.

Free Verse

Free Verse is a form of Poetry composed of either rhymed or unrhymed lines that have no set fixed metrical pattern. The early 20th-century poets were the first to write what they called "free verse" which allowed them to break from the formula and rigidity of traditional poetry. The poetry of Walt Whitman provides many illustrations of Free Verse including his poem "Song of Myself".

Blank Verse

Blank Verse is Poetry that is written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. Blank verse is often unobtrusive and the iambic pentameter form often resembles the rhythms of ordinary speech. William Shakespeare wrote most of his plays in blank verse.

Light Verse

A term applied t a great variety of poems that use an ordinary speaking voice and a relaxed manner to treat their subjects gaily, or playfully, or with a good - natured satire.  Its subjects may be serious or petty; the defining quality is the tone of voice used and the attitude of the lyric or narrative speaker towards the subject.

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